O. Reg. 330/10: School Councils
filed September 1, 2010 under Education Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. E.2
Skip to contentontario regulation 330/10
made under the
Education Act
Made: July 13, 2010
Filed: September 1, 2010
Published on e-Laws: September 3, 2010
Printed in The Ontario Gazette: September 18, 2010
Amending O. Reg. 612/00
(School Councils)
1. The title to Ontario Regulation 612/00 is revoked and the following substituted:
SCHOOL COUNCILS AND PARENT INVOLVEMENT COMMITTEES
2. The heading immediately before section 1 of the Regulation is revoked and the following substituted:
PART I
interpretation
3. Section 1 of the Regulation is revoked and the following substituted:
1. In this Regulation,
“meeting”, in respect of a school council or a parent involvement committee, does not include a training session or other event where the council or the committee does not discuss or decide matters that it has authority to decide; (“réunion”)
“parent” means,
(a) in respect of a school council, a parent of a pupil who is enrolled in the school, and includes a guardian as defined in section 1 of the Act, and
(b) in respect of a parent involvement committee of a board, a parent of a pupil who is enrolled in a school of the board, and includes a guardian as defined in section 1 of the Act; (“père ou mère”)
“parent member” means,
(a) in respect of a school council, a member of the council who is elected to the council in accordance with section 4 or who fills a vacancy created by a parent member ceasing to hold office, and
(b) in respect of a parent involvement committee, a member of the committee who is appointed or elected to the committee in accordance with section 34 or who fills a vacancy created by a parent member ceasing to hold office. (“père ou mère membre”)
1.1 In the case of a school council in a school that is established primarily for adults, a reference in this Regulation to a parent shall be read, with necessary modifications, as a reference to a pupil who is enrolled in the school.
4. The heading immediately before section 2 of the Regulation is revoked and the following substituted:
Part II
School Councils
Purpose
5. Sections 9, 25 and 26 of the Regulation are revoked.
6. The Regulation is amended by adding the following Part:
Part III
PARENT INVOLVEMENT COMMITTEES
Purpose
27. (1) The purpose of a parent involvement committee is to support, encourage and enhance parent engagement at the board level in order to improve student achievement and well-being.
(2) A parent involvement committee of a board shall achieve its purpose by,
(a) providing information and advice on parent engagement to the board;
(b) communicating with and supporting school councils of schools of the board; and
(c) undertaking activities to help parents of pupils of the board support their children’s learning at home and at school.
28. A parent involvement committee of a board shall,
(a) develop strategies and initiatives that the board and the board’s director of education could use to effectively communicate with parents and to effectively engage parents in improving student achievement and well-being;
(b) advise the board and the board’s director of education on ways to use the strategies and initiatives referred to in clause (a);
(c) communicate information from the Ministry to school councils of schools of the board and to parents of pupils of the board;
(d) work with school councils of schools of the board and, through the board’s director of education, with employees of the board to,
(i) share effective practices to help engage parents, especially parents who may find engagement challenging, in their children’s learning,
(ii) identify and reduce barriers to parent engagement,
(iii) help ensure that schools of the board create a welcoming environment for parents of its pupils, and
(iv) develop skills and acquire knowledge that will assist the parent involvement committee and school councils of the board with their work; and
(e) determine, in consultation with the board’s director of education and in keeping with the board’s policies, how funding, if any, provided under the Education Act for parent involvement as described in section 27 and clauses (a) to (d), is to be used.
Continuation and Establishment of Committees
29. (1) A parent involvement committee established by a board before September 1, 2010 is continued.
(2) A board established before September 1, 2010 that has not established a parent involvement committee before September 1, 2010 shall, before January 31, 2011, establish a parent involvement committee in accordance with section 32.
(3) A board established on or after September 1, 2010 shall, before October 1 of the school year following the calendar year in which the board’s members are first elected, establish a parent involvement committee in accordance with section 32.
(4) Despite the definition of “parent member” in section 1,
(a) parent member in respect of a parent involvement committee established before September 1, 2010, before the committee meets it obligations under section 30, means a parent who is a member of the committee or who fills a vacancy created by a parent member ceasing to hold office; and
(b) parent member in respect of a parent involvement committee established on or after September 1, 2010, before the committee meets its obligations under section 31, means a parent who is appointed as a parent member to the committee by the board in accordance with section 32 or who fills a vacancy created by a parent member ceasing to hold office.
Composition of Committees, Transition
30. (1) A parent involvement committee established or continued under subsection 29 (1) or (2) shall, before October 1, 2011, establish the by-laws required by clause 43 (b).
(2) A parent involvement committee established or continued under subsection 29 (1) or (2) shall, before November 15, 2011, and after it complies with subsection (1),
(a) appoint or elect its members in accordance with section 33; and
(b) establish terms of office in accordance with section 37.
31. (1) A parent involvement committee established by a board under subsection 29 (3) shall, before October 1 of the second school year following the calendar year in which the board’s members are first elected, establish the by-laws required by clause 43 (b).
(2) A parent involvement committee established by a board under subsection 29 (3) shall, before November 15 of the second school year following the calendar year in which the board’s members are first elected, and after it complies with subsection (1),
(a) appoint or elect its members in accordance with section 33; and
(b) establish terms of office in accordance with section 37.
32. (1) This section applies with respect to a parent involvement committee established by a board under subsection 29 (2) or (3), until the day the committee meets its obligations under section 30 or 31, as the case may be.
(2) Until a parent involvement committee established under subsection 29 (2) or (3) meets its obligations under section 30 or 31, as the case may be, sections 33, 34, 35, 37, 38 and 43 do not apply to the committee.
(3) The board shall appoint the following people to the committee:
1. The number of parent members the board determines appropriate.
2. The director of education of the board.
3. One member of the board.
4. The number of community representatives, up to three, the board determines appropriate.
(4) A person is qualified to be appointed by the board as a parent member of the committee if he or she is a parent.
(5) A parent who is employed by the board is qualified to be appointed by the board to the committee.
(6) A parent referred to in subsection (5) shall, at his or her first committee meeting, inform the committee of his or her employment with the board.
(7) The parent members appointed by the board shall elect a parent member to serve as chair or parent members to serve as co-chairs of the committee.
(8) The chair or co-chairs shall act as spokespersons for the committee in communicating with the director of education of the board and the board.
(9) Community representatives appointed by the board to the committee shall not be members or employees of the board.
(10) The board may appoint one or more of the individuals listed in subsection 33 (2) to the committee.
(11) An appointment of an individual listed in subsection 33 (2) is of no effect unless the individual agrees to the appointment.
(12) In appointing members to the committee, the board shall ensure that parent members constitute a majority of the members of the committee.
(13) In the event that an individual appointed to a parent involvement committee under subsection (3) vacates his or her position on the committee, the board shall appoint another individual to the position.
(14) In the event that an individual appointed to a parent involvement committee under subsection (10) vacates his or her position on the committee, the board may appoint another individual to the position.
Composition of Committees, General
33. (1) A parent involvement committee of a board shall include the following:
1. The number of parent members specified in the by-laws of the committee.
2. The director of education of the board.
3. One member of the board, appointed by the board.
4. The number of community representatives specified in the by-laws of the committee.
(2) Subject to the by-laws of the parent involvement committee, a board may appoint one or more of the following individuals to the parent involvement committee:
1. One principal of an elementary school of the board.
2. One principal of a secondary school of the board.
3. One teacher employed, other than a principal or vice-principal, in an elementary school of the board.
4. One teacher employed, other than a principal or vice-principal, in a secondary school of the board.
5. One person employed by the board, other than a principal, vice-principal or teacher.
(3) A parent involvement committee shall appoint or elect members to the committee before November 15 of the school year and before the first meeting of the committee in the school year.
(4) In specifying the number of parent members to be appointed or elected to a parent involvement committee in its by-laws, the committee shall ensure that parent members constitute a majority of the members of the committee.
(5) The term of office of the member of the board appointed under paragraph 3 of subsection (1) shall be determined by the board.
(6) Community representatives appointed to a parent involvement committee shall not be members or employees of the board.
(7) The board shall make any appointments under subsection (2) before November 15 of the school year and before the first meeting of the parent involvement committee in the school year.
(8) An appointment to a parent involvement committee under subsection (2) is of no effect unless the person agrees to the appointment.
Parent Members
34. (1) Parent members shall be appointed or elected to a parent involvement committee under section 33, in accordance with the by-laws of the committee.
(2) A person is qualified to be appointed or elected under section 33 as a parent member of a parent involvement committee if he or she is a parent.
(3) A person is qualified to be appointed or elected under section 33 as a parent member of a parent involvement committee of a board if he or she is employed by the board.
(4) A parent member referred to in subsection (3) shall, at his or her first committee meeting, inform the committee of his or her employment with the board.
Vacancies
35. (1) A board shall ensure that vacancies in parent member positions on its parent involvement committee are advertised through a variety of methods.
(2) Methods of advertising vacancies in parent member positions on a parent involvement committee include,
(a) advertisements in newsletters of schools or school councils of schools of the board;
(b) advertisements in newspapers with general circulation in the geographic jurisdiction of the board;
(c) advertisements on radio or television stations that broadcast in the geographic jurisdiction of the board;
(d) notices in schools of the board; and
(e) notices on the board’s website and on the websites of the board’s schools.
36. A vacancy in the membership of a parent involvement committee does not prevent the committee from exercising its authority.
Term of Office
37. (1) The term of office of some of the parent members of a parent involvement committee shall be one year and the term of office of some of the parent members shall be two years, as provided in the by-laws of the committee.
(2) A member of a parent involvement committee may be reappointed or re-elected to the committee for more than one term unless otherwise provided in the by-laws of the committee.
Officers
38. (1) A parent involvement committee shall have a chair or, if the by-laws of the committee so provide, co-chairs.
(2) The chair or co-chairs of a parent involvement committee must be parent members of the committee and shall be elected for a two-year term by the parent members of the committee at the first meeting of the committee in each school year that there is a vacancy in the office of chair or co-chair.
(3) Only parent members with a two-year term are eligible to be elected to the position of chair or co-chair.
(4) An individual may not serve more than two consecutive terms as chair or co-chair of a parent involvement committee.
(5) An individual who has served one term or two consecutive terms as chair or co-chair of a parent involvement committee may be re-elected as chair or co-chair of the committee provided at least one two-year term has elapsed since his or her last term as chair or co-chair.
(6) The chair or co-chairs of a parent involvement committee shall act as spokespersons for the committee in communicating with the director of education of the board and the board.
(7) A parent involvement committee may have such other officers as are provided for in the by-laws of the committee.
(8) A vacancy in the office of chair, co-chair or any office provided for in the by-laws of a parent involvement committee, shall be filled in accordance with the by-laws of the committee.
Remuneration
39. (1) A person shall not receive any remuneration for serving as a member of a parent involvement committee.
(2) Subsection (1) does not preclude payment of an honorarium under section 191 of the Act that takes into account the attendance of a board member at a parent involvement committee meeting.
(3) A board shall establish policies respecting the reimbursement of members of its parent involvement committee for expenses incurred as members of the committee.
(4) A board shall reimburse members of its parent involvement committee for expenses incurred as members of the committee in accordance with the policies referred to in subsection (3).
Meetings
40. (1) A parent involvement committee shall meet at least four times in each school year.
(2) A meeting of a parent involvement committee cannot be held unless,
(a) a majority of the members present at the meeting are parent members;
(b) the director of education, or the person designated under subsection 46 (1), is present; and
(c) the member of the board who sits on the committee, or the person designated under subsection 46 (2), is present.
(3) The board shall make available to its parent involvement committee the facilities that the board considers necessary for the proper functioning of the committee, and shall make reasonable efforts to enable members to participate fully in meetings of the committee by electronic means.
(4) A member of a parent involvement committee who participates in a meeting through electronic means shall be deemed to be present at the meeting.
(5) All meetings of a parent involvement committee shall be open to the public and shall be held at a location that is accessible to the public.
(6) The chair or co-chairs of a parent involvement committee shall ensure that notice of each meeting is provided to all members of the committee at least five days before the meeting by,
(a) delivering a notice to each member by e-mail or regular mail; and
(b) posting a notice on the board’s website.
(7) For the purposes of subsection (6), notice by regular mail is provided five days before the meeting if it is mailed five days before the meeting.
Subcommittees
41. (1) A parent involvement committee may establish subcommittees to make recommendations to the parent involvement committee.
(2) A subcommittee of a parent involvement committee must include at least one parent member of the parent involvement committee.
(3) A subcommittee of a parent involvement committee may include persons who are not members of the parent involvement committee.
(4) Subsections 40 (3) to (7) apply, with necessary modifications, to subcommittees of a parent involvement committee.
Voting
42. When a parent involvement committee votes on a matter, only parent members and community representative members are entitled to vote.
43. A parent involvement committee,
(a) may make by-laws governing the conduct of the committee’s affairs; and
(i) specifying the number of parent members to be appointed or elected to the committee, governing the process of appointment or election of parent members and governing the filling of vacancies in parent membership,
(ii) specifying the number of community representatives, up to three, to be appointed to the committee, governing the process of appointment of community representatives and governing the filling of vacancies in community representative membership,
(iii) governing the election of members of the committee to the offices of chair or co-chair, and any offices provided for in the by-laws, and governing the filling of vacancies in the offices of the committee,
(iv) specifying the number of parent members of the parent involvement committee that will hold office for one year and the number of parent members that will hold office for two years,
(v) specifying how many, if any, of the persons listed in subsection 33 (2) may be appointed by the board to the parent involvement committee,
(vi) specifying the length of the term of office for the community representative members of the parent involvement committee and the members appointed by the board, if any, under subsection 33 (2),
(vii) establishing rules respecting conflicts of interest of the members of the parent involvement committee, and
(viii) establishing a process for resolving conflicts internal to the committee, consistent with any conflict resolution policies of the board.
Minutes and Financial Records
44. (1) A parent involvement committee shall keep minutes of all of its meetings and records of all of its financial transactions.
(2) A parent involvement committee shall retain the minutes of its meetings and the records of its financial transactions in accordance with the policies of the board, if any, respecting the retention of documents by committees of the board.
(3) The minutes of a parent involvement committee of a board shall be,
(a) posted on the website of the board that established the committee; and
(b) sent electronically to the chair or co-chairs of the school council of each school of the board that established the committee.
(4) The minutes of a committee’s meetings and the records of its financial transactions shall be available for examination at the board’s office by any person without charge for four years.
(5) Minutes posted on the website of the board shall remain on the website for four years.
Incorporation
45. A parent involvement committee shall not be incorporated.
Delegation by the Director of Education and the Board Member
46. (1) The director of education of a board may,
(a) delegate any of his or her powers or duties as a member of the parent involvement committee to a supervisory officer employed by the board; and
(b) designate a supervisory officer of the board to attend a meeting of the parent involvement committee in his or her place.
(2) The member of a board who sits on a parent involvement committee may,
(a) delegate any of his or her powers or duties as a member of the parent involvement committee to another member of the board; and
(b) designate a member of the board to attend the meetings of the parent involvement committee in his or her place.
Consultation by Board
47. (1) A board may solicit and take into consideration the advice of its parent involvement committee with regard to matters that relate to improving student achievement and well-being.
(2) The board shall inform the parent involvement committee of its response to advice provided to it by the committee.
Consultation by Ministry
48. The Ministry may solicit and take into consideration the advice of parent involvement committees with regard to matters that relate to improving student achievement and well-being.
Consultation by Parent Involvement Committee
49. A parent involvement committee may solicit and take into consideration the advice of parents of pupils enrolled in schools of the board with regard to matters under consideration by the committee.
Summary of Activities
50. (1) A parent involvement committee of a board shall annually submit a written summary of the committee’s activities to the chair of the board and to the board’s director of education.
(2) The summary of activities shall include a report on how funding, if any, provided under the Education Act for parent involvement described in section 27 and clauses 28 (a) to (d), was spent.
(3) The director of education shall,
(a) provide the summary of activities to the school councils of the schools of the board; and
(b) post the summary of activities on the website of the board.
7. This Regulation comes into force on the later of September 1, 2010 and the day it is filed.
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